A man has been sentenced to life plus five years in prison for shooting another man to death at a southwest Atlanta 4th of July barbecue in 2015.

Juarez Monegain, 35, pled guilty to the murder and related charges, the Fulton County District Attorney’s office announced this week.

The 25-year-old victim, Edwin Ross, was at the get-together with his girlfriend during the early morning of July 5. Monegain began to shout at Ross, and threatened to slap him.

Ross tried to leave the party, but Monegain followed and shot Ross four times, hitting his abdomen, hip, arm, and thigh. Monegain returned to the event, smiling, and told everyone to “have a good night” and that he loved them, according to a news release. He fled the scene in a burgundy sedan.

Ross was on life support at Grady Memorial Hospital for 48 days before he died.

After Ross’s death, two witnesses identified Monegain in a photo lineup, and he surrendered to Atlanta police.

The shooting occurred in the 700 block of University Avenue. A motive for the killing was not released.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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